Japan Youth Platform for Sustainability (JYPS) is a youth organization that creates a "place" to gather the voices of young people in Japan and deliver them to the Japanese government, the United Nations (UN), and civil society as policy, in order to contribute to the discussions on the "2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development" adopted by the UN in 2015 and other international frameworks. They are working to create a sustainable society by delivering the opinions and thoughts of young people from diverse backgrounds to decision-makers, and by participating in opinion exchange meetings with the Japanese government and international conferences as youth. In addition, they hold events and conduct opinion surveys every year in order to gather the opinions of as many young Japanese people as possible.
During the 3rd United Nations World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction held in Sendai, Japan on 14-18 March 2015, four years after the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami occurred on 11 March 2011, discussion on a "Japan Youth Project" came up. The idea was based on a view of a need to harness the power of the youth in order to change policy and society and create a future where young people live with peace of mind and play an active role. To realize this youth project, JYPS was established in 2015. JYPS since then has engaged in activities to raise the voices of young people from diverse backgrounds and help transform society.
JYPS adopted the following vision and mission:
VISION
We strive for a world with fair and equitable society by ensuring that the opinions of every member of society are equally reflected in policies.
MISSION
We enable youth to reflect their opinions on government and international frameworks by establishing, managing, and improving a democratic self-governing system that collects and coordinates the voices of youth.
In order to achieve these vision and mission, JYPS conducts advocacy activities by the youth in Japan, with the following three main categories:
As an advocacy organization, JYPS aims to bring about social change by making policy recommendations, participating in UN negotiations, holding meetings with relevant government ministries, organizing campaigns and events, and publishing articles, etc., and by giving voice to young people from a variety of backgrounds. Anyone under the age of 30, or a youth organization or an organization that works for young people, can join JYPS.
Handing over a youth policy proposal, 9 September 2023
Participating in the Action Days for the Summit of the Future, 20 September 2024
The activities of JYPS in recent years involved the following:
JYPS developed the "SDGs Youth Proposal 2023 - The Advocacy of the Youth, by the Youth, for a Better Society" mainly through discussions held during its online event entitled the "SDGs Youth Forum'' held on the 28-29 July and 4-5 August 2023 with one hundred seven youth attendees. It also held the "SDGs Awareness Survey" from 28 July to 31 August 2023 and received one hundred and one responses.
The results of the online discussion and survey were reflected in the "SDGs Youth Proposal 2023." One of the major recommendations dealt with the many challenges in achieving "meaningful" youth engagement.
As stated in the proposal:
It is simply not enough to seat youth at a table and let them speak at a few meetings in the decision-making processes. Towards a future of "meaningful" youth participation, we propose the following:
a. JYPS defines youth as individuals who are 30 years of age or below, however, it is impossible for the few elected youth to represent the opinions of such a diverse group, which tends to generalize the issues regarding youth.
b. The same issue occurs with other vulnerable individuals for [their] meaningful engagement.
2. Provide youth with the opportunity to represent themselves in a safe, voluntary and democratic setting, and ensure the transparency of the process of electing, expressing opinions and decision-making for the meaningful youth engagement.
3. Provide an environment with a more fulfilling citizenship education.
a. The Japanese education system fails to nurture a sense of responsibility and ownership over issues in societies, which further prevents the youth from speaking up about their own issues.
b. Citizenship education is essential for a sustainable It protects one's rights, ensures diversity, inclusiveness, and intersectionality, and promotes individuals' participation in society.
c. Moreover, in today's information-loaded society, sovereignty education fosters awareness of social issues and equips youth with correct knowledge and information.
In relation to the third Voluntary National Review by the Japanese government in 2025, JYPS conducted a survey of the voices and situations of young people in Japan from the beginning of 2024 in order to implement a Voluntary Youth Review (VYR). On 20 March 2024, as a kick-off for the process, JYPS made presentations on two themes with the cooperation of the Next Generation SDGs Promotion Platform, and invited expert and youth panelists to discuss issues regarding SDGs with the participants. After that, a survey was conducted to reflect the voices and situations of many young Japanese people through the Voluntary Youth Review, which was the core of the project. Based on the seventeen goals of the SDGs, JYPS set four themes: "Inequality, Poverty, and Gender," "Education and Well-being," "Environment, Climate, and Biodiversity," and "Youth Participation," and gathered opinions through questionnaires, interviews, and discussion events.
Through the review, JYPS analyzed Japan's achievement of the SDGs from a youth perspective and made recommendations for future actions. This review was held in preparation for the "SDGs Youth Summit 2024 - Working with Youth for the Future." The youth summit clarified the voices and realities of Japanese children and young people who were overlooked in numbers and statistics. JYPS will deliver these results to decision-makers at ministries, agencies, and international organizations, and will carry out advocacy activities to promote policies that reflect the current situation and issues facing youth.
Kick-off event for Voluntary Youth Review, 20 March 2024
For more information, please contact: Japan Youth Platform for Sustainability (JYPS), e-mail: japanyouthplatform@gmail.com;
www.jyps.website/; www.facebook.com/JYPS2030/.
Communication may also be made to Kumiko Hongyo, Co-Secretary General, JYPS, e-mail: kumikohjyps@gmail.com.